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Skincare Saturday – DIY Eye Makeup Remover

Eye makeup remover is expensive. Not only that, it doesn’t always work, or it irritates your eyes. I had gone back and forth on a couple of different brands for a while, and then found one from Simple that I really liked – just as Target stopped carrying it. Sigh. So I went back to using the one from Almay, which was okay but not great. Then I saw a pin on Pinterest about a DIY version and thought – huh I wonder if that works.

I dumped out the last bit of Almay stuff I had left and used the empty bottle. You could also use one of those travel size bottles they carry in Target and so on. Pour in a little bit of the shampoo – I don’t measure it, but I’d say I put in about half a tablespoon or so – and then fill the rest of the bottle up with water; shake to mix. That’s it!

Each time I use it, I shake it up a bit to make sure it’s mixed, then I soak a cotton pad and wipe off my eye makeup. It takes almost everything off in one swipe; the only things that might take a little more elbow grease are the usual suspects, like waterproof mascara and long wear eyeliner. Even then, I don’t feel like I have to scrub until my eyes are red. It’s gentle enough even for sensitive eyes or contact lens wearers.

Also – I already had a bottle of baby shampoo when I read about this, because it’s what I use to wash my makeup brushes! So if you’re also shelling out a lot of money for pricey brush shampoo, stop! Baby shampoo is gentle enough for even natural hair brushes, and you can’t beat the price. I keep my brushes in a mason jar type glass mug – when it’s time to clean them, I fill the mug with warm (not hot!) water and a few drops of the shampoo, then I swirl each brush in the jar one at a time and rinse in cool water, repeating as necessary, until the water runs clear. Cleans the mug too! Then you can either hang the brushes to dry, bristles down – this contraption is neat – or what I do is roll up one washcloth and set it on my sink, then lay another washcloth on top of that. Then I set my brushes on the washcloth so that the handles are resting on the rolled up cloth – that way the brushes are sort of angled down, so the water can drain away from the ferrules.

Two DIY products, one necessary ingredient – and it’s under $5. That is a beautiful thing! And it will keep you beautiful and clean and free of bacteria. Can’t beat that with a stick if you tried!